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Retaining walls. Retaining walls are necessary when you have a slope, or when you'd like to create a grade change for a more dramatic appearance in your landscape. They are called retaining walls because they retain soil on one side. Be sure to check your local city code for guidelines on creating retaining walls, as walls over a certain height — 3 feet for example — may need to be planned by a landscape architect or structural engineer. The last thing you want is a failed retaining wall that poses a safety risk and leads to an expensive repair, so many of these types of projects are best left to the professionals.

Jeffrey Gordon Smith Landscape Architecture
Retaining walls. Retaining walls are necessary when you have a slope, or when you'd like to create a grade change for a more dramatic appearance in your landscape. They are called retaining walls because they retain soil on one side.
Be sure to check your local city code for guidelines on creating retaining walls, as walls over a certain height — 3 feet for example — may need to be planned by a landscape architect or structural engineer. The last thing you want is a failed retaining wall that poses a safety risk and leads to an expensive repair, so many of these types of projects are best left to the professionals.

Retaining walls. Retaining walls are necessary when you have a slope, or when you'd like to create a grade change for a more dramatic appearance in your landscape. They are called retaining walls because they retain soil on one side.
Be sure to check your local city code for guidelines on creating retaining walls, as walls over a certain height — 3 feet for example — may need to be planned by a landscape architect or structural engineer. The last thing you want is a failed retaining wall that poses a safety risk and leads to an expensive repair, so many of these types of projects are best left to the professionals.